It'll Never Be the Same
by xozanessaloveox
Summary: A devestating plane crash shakes the lives of the Wildcats. TxG, ZxS Loosely based on the events of November 14, 1971 in West Virginia.


**Please Read the Following.**

**An important message.**

**For those of you who don't know, _We Are Marshall _is based on a true story. On November 14, 1970, a tragic event happened. The Marshall University football team was on their was to or from a game; I don't know exactly; and their plane crashed killing 75 players, coaches, officials, and loyal fans. All but 3 of the team's players were killed. About a year after the accident, the remaining staff wanted to find some way to honor all those who were killed. They started forming another team. They didn't have enough players, so they pulled players from other sports such as basketball and soccer. They practiced and practiced and practiced until they finally won their second game of the season. They only won one other game that season. IF you don't understand what I'm saying, then you need to watch the movie. **

**I based this story upon the events that happened that tragic day in November with help from the movie, _We Are Marshall._**

**Disclaimer: I do not own High School Musical or We Are Marshall.**

_FLASHBACK_

_"Guys, this is gonna be so awesome!!" Chad Danforth said as he buckled his plane seatbelt. He gazed out the window to the runway, wishing his bet friend and girlfriend could've come along on this exciting trip._

_"Yeah, it's too bad Troy couldn't come," said Lucas, another boy on the team. The East High Wildcats were on their way to San Diego, California to play their championship basketball game. Minus their captain, who had been caught in bed with his girlfriend, Gabriella Montez, and had been grounded. Also, without Zeke Baylor, because of being caught with a bottle of vodka in his room; and another boy named Alex Kim, who had been put on Academic Probation._

_The whole team was disappointed about their teammates, but were determined to make the most of the trip. _

_"Attention all passengers, we are expieriencing a bit of turbulence, so please fasten your seatbelts," came a voice over the intercom. The team obeyed, except for Chad because his belt was already fastened._

_"Jason, stop poking Matt," said Jack Bolton, the coach of the team. _

_"Attention all passengers, please take out the life jackets underneath the seats; we are expieriencing some problems with the engine," came the voice again._

_"Uh oh..." was all Chad could say before the plane went down._

--Meanwhile...--

"Troy! Come on, stop tickling me!" Gabriella Montez giggled as her boyfriend of nine months, Troy Bolton, attacked her sides eagerly with a smirk plastered across his face.

"Not until you say it!" Troy replied, tickling her even more.

"Never! I don't tell lies!" Gabriella retorted, losing control of her giggling, and a stary tear of joy trickled down her cheek.

"Fine! Then I won't stop tickling you!" Troy insisted as he straddled his girlfriend to control her squirming. Gabriella screamed with delight as she kicked her legs in an attempt to free herself.

"Aw, come on!" Gabriella half-whined, half-giggled as she felt defeated. She rolled her eyes, "Troy Bolton is the hottest, sexiest, most brilliant boyfriend ever!" Troy smirked and got off of his girlfriend. He crossed his arms.

"Why, thank you," Troy said, bowing his head.

"Ugh, your such a nut!" Gabriella threw her hands in the air in defeat as she put on her best pouty face.

"No, noooo, not the pouty face!" Troy whined, climbing onto Gabriella's bed beside her. He nuzzled his face into her neck placed small kissed across her collarbone.

"I can't resist the pouty face," Troy whispered in between kisses.

Before completely losing control of herself, she whispered back, "payback's a bitch." She smiled at his whimper as she got off of the bed and stood up, "who's the winner now?"

"You!" he said as he got off of the bed and began chasing her around the room. She screamed with delight and flew down the stairs, running by her mother, and out the door to the backyard. She turned her head back and saw Troy hot at her heels.

"I've almost..." Troy began, reaching out to grab Gabriella around the waist, "got you." He pulled her in by the waist as they toppled to the ground, both in a fit of serious giggles. The laughing soon slowed as the she gazed into his drowning, bright blue eyes; him into her mysterious chocolate brown ones. She smiled a little as he leaned in slowly to kiss her soft, pink lips. There lips brushed, but they were interrupted by Mrs. Montez slamming the back door. Gabriella pulled away suddenly, frightened that her mother slammed the door. Mrs. Montez _never _slammed a door.

She got up, pulling Troy behind her and rushed to her distraught looking mother, "Mom, what happened? What's wrong?" Gabriella placed her hands on her mother's shoulders as she questioned the tears threatening to fall out of the middle-aged woman's eyes.

"Mrs. M? Are you alright...?" Troy asked, putting his hands on the sides of Gabriella's waist.

"In the car," was all she said.

"Mom, are you..." Gabriella began.

"I said in the car! I'll tell you on the way," Mrs. Montez replied, motioning for the pair to follow as she scurried in the direction of her brand new Lexus.

Troy and Gabriella looked at each other, scared for what might be the matter, and quickly followed Mrs. Montez to the car. The slid into the backseat as Mrs. Montez sped off into th darkness, barely getting any time to close the door.

"Jesus, Mom, you want to tell us what the big rush is?" Gabriella asked, getting annoyed with her mother's lack of speech. Troy rubbed his girlfriend's back, in an attempt to calm her down.

"It's about your friends, on the plane," Mrs. Montez sais slowly and quietly, she looked at the reflection of the teens in her drivers' mirror, "and your dad, Troy." At once, a million thoughts rushed through his head, _was someone hurt? Did they forget someone in California? What could be wrong?_

"W-what about them?" Gabriella asked, lacing her hand with her boyfriend's.

"The plane they were on..." she broke down, "oh, they were so close to home, I just don't see why..." she trailed off, "Troy, Gabi, I hate to tell you this, but the plane the Wildcats were on crashed a little while ago over Rose Field..." she trailed off again. Tears fell down Gabriella's face as she leaned back in her seat, overcome with shock. Troy fought desperatly to keep the tears welling up in his own eyes from falling.

"D-did anyone...s-survive?" Troy asked, afraid of the answer.

"I don't know...that's why we're going right now; to Rose Field. They said the fire was pretty bad, and the plane was in really bad shape, but there was a possibility for some survivors," Mrs. Montez said, wiping away a tear that fell down her tired, wrinkled face.

The rest of the car ride was silent, the three riders overcome with a mixture of shock, confusion, sadness, and fear. As the silver car pulled up to the old, historic Rose Field, Gabriella and Troy were shocked at the sight before them.

Fires raged everywhere, and the outline of a beat-up plane could barely be recognized through the smoke and flame. Firetrucks' sirens blared, and their lights were blinding. Long ladders extended from the red vehicles with hoses, attempting to extinguish the burning orange and red flame. People could be heard all around, most crying, some screaming, some doing both, and some just standing there with tears in their eyes. Police cruisers were everywhere, the solemn men dressed in sky blue shirts and navy blue slacks stood around the premices, holding back hysterical mothers or fathers, and breaking up fights between greiving men; fights that broke out over a simple comment.

Gabriella and Troy opened the car doors, and jumped out of the car. There they stood, a horror scene unfolding in front of them. Gabriella clung to Troy's arm as tears streamed out of her eyes, her mother on the other side of Troy, rubbing his back and crying as well.

"Maria? Maria!" came a voice from behind the car. Three figures ran toward the three, all with equally distressed lookso n their faces.

"Oh Annabelle," Maria turned around and hugged her friend. Zeke Baylor hurried up to meet the teens, also with a few tearstains on his cheeks. Behind him followed his sister, Janelle, younger by two years, who looked scared.

"Zeke!" Gabriella cried, running over to her friend and hugging him tightly. Troy followed and hugged Janelle, and wiped her tears away with the pads of his thumbs, whispering, "it'll be alright." Troy pulled away from Janelle and turned to one of his best friends. He couldn't take the sight of his friend since second grade, and broke down right in fornt of everyone. He hugged Zeke, who was also now quietly crying.

"J-Janelle..." Gabriella stuttered, wrapping her arms around the high school freshman's shoulders. Janelle was an extraordinarily pretty girl, she had been adopted from Russia, and barely spoke any English. She was dating Aaron Michaelson, a junior and also the center for the Wildcats. Aaron Michaelson, who was on the plane that was burning up in front of them.

"Gabay," she struggled to pronounce Gabriella's name through her heart-wrenching tears. The girls pulled away and Janelle hurried to her mother.

"Mama, when will we know anything?" Gabriella asked her mother. Maria Montez sighed.

"I don't know, mija, I just don't know."

"Oh my..." came a high-pitched voice from beside Troy. Troy looked over and saw a very scared looking blond girl standing next to him.

"Shar?" he asked barely audible.

"Oh, Troy," she said quietly, whispering into his shirt as she hugged him tightly.

"Ryan!" Gabriella cried, running to another of her best friends. Ryan embraced her in a tight hug.

"Troy, I don't know what to do...what if Zeke was killed...I..." she trailed off noticing the tall, dark figure standing next to Troy.

"Shar..." he began, but was cut off by a wisp of blond hair in his mouth. He embraced his girlfriend tightly, as she cried hard into his shoulder, whispering soothing words to her, even though they all knew, life would never be the same.

"Excuse me," said a fireman, walking up to Annabelle Baylor and Maria Montez.

"Yes?" Annabelle asked, squeezing her daughters shoulders.

"Are any of you of the Bolton decent?" the man asked, taking off his fire helmet revealing dark smudges all over his tired, unshaven face.

Troy gulped, "I-I am, sir," he said, stepping forward and intertwining his fingers with Gabriella's, bracing himself for the news.

"I'm so sorry, son, but your father was killed in the plane crash, his body was just retrieved from the rubble," the man said solemnly. Troy suddenly choked, not wanting to believe what he had just been told. His father, his only father was dead. A sob escaped from his lips as he leaned his back against the car, putting his face in his hands.

Gabriella was overcome by shock. How could Mr. Bolton be dead? He was Mr. Bolton! He couldn't die! She slowly walked over to where Troy was leaning, and embraced him in a tight hug, rubbing his back slowly as he wept into her shirt. He wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her close to him. She was devestated by the fact that Troy no longer had any relative family. His mother had died when he was born, and now this.

"It'll be okay, baby, it'll be okay," all he could do was nod at his girlfriend's words. But it wouldn't be okay. Sure, he would recover and get over the loss of his last living relative, but his life would never be the same.

Albuquerque would never be the same.

* * *

**Tell me if I should make this into a story...? I think it would work from where I stopped. Well, I dunno. Tell me if you want.**

**xx**


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